Leeds United’s last visit to Wearside was a doubly dark day for Gus Poyet.

The Uruguayan was assistant manager of the struggling Yorkshire club when they arrived at the Stadium of Light on Boxing Day 2006 for a game which ended in both a 2-0 defeat - and a red card for Poyet.

He was sent to the stands by referee Graham Salisbury 10 minutes from time after deliberately throwing a second ball on to the pitch in an attempt to have the game halted as Sunderland went on the attack - just as play had been stopped earlier when a ball was thrown by a confused ball-boy when Leeds were in possession.

Poyet did not hang around to see Salisbury brandish the card, heading straight for the tunnel.

Now in charge on Wearside, he admits it was not his finest moment.

Poyet said: “I felt it was something really unfair during that game and I did something which I should not have done.

“I did not know what to do so I just left the pitch.

“It was the only time I was sent off before being sent off!

“It was a very difficult year that year at Leeds.

“We were desperate. We knew administration would probably come.

“We were not good enough, did not want to go down, so any little decision against us was massive.“

Poyet’s Sunderland take on Leeds at the Stadium of Light tomorrow in the third round of the FA Cup - the club’s first meeting in the competition since the Black Cats famously beat Don Revie’s side to win the trophy at Wembley in 1973.